“So yes, it has been my hardest season in management but I’m looking forward to it being one of the best times – and by staying up, that would be the case.”

Sunderland travel to Watford today seven points adrift of safety and many fans have accepted the Black Cats decade-long tenure in the top flight is coming to an end.

But Moyes denies there’s an air of resignation within the camp, adding: “I don’t see it necessarily around the building or in training, I’ve felt it at times at the end of games but you would expect that when you’ve lost.

“We’ve told the players how they’ve been in worse situations and it still turned out right. We’ve got 10 games to go and we have to do something that shows we can win those games.”